From Galveston to Genoa...

  A Rug of Many Colors, Our apartment here in Genoa came furnished with all the necessities, but a bit spartan. Our apartment (see photo from 1893) is a mix of turn of the 19 th century structure (walls, windows, and flooring) and modern modular upgrades (kitchen and bathrooms full of modern appliances). It was livable but we needed to warm it up a bit, make it more comfortable and a bit more our own. It needed some Hygge* elements. We have added comforters to the beds, some throw blankets, a few more lamps and light options. The high-ceilinged rooms are somewhat small, but the windows allow light when it is sunny. The classic marble grit Genovese floors shine with the polished hard work and centuries of scrubbing and buffing. We decided that the shag rug in the living room wasn’t quite working for us. We needed a new rug, but what type/color of rug? The couch in the living room was modern and a fairly bright teal. The painting over the couch was a nice local scene of the beac...

  Dinner with New Friends We were able to meet up with our new “Angel” and her boyfriend last Saturday night. We met inside the ancient walls of the City near the Porta Soprana (ancient City gates) in a quaint restaurant in an ancient building. We entered what looked like a tiny room with four tables and a bar,   but we were led by the hostess down tiny winding stairs to a larger brick walled basement area with about eight tables and little windows high up near the ceiling. The weather outside had been chilly (in the low forties Fahrenheit), but inside it was toasty warm (really almost hot), so we peeled off coats and scarves and made ourselves more comfortable at the table. We dove into lively conversations, mostly in English with lyrical Italian translations from Angelica to her boyfriend when he did not understand. We tried to stumble our way through with a few Italian words and phrases and they appeared to appreciate our attempts. We tried and tasted everything local...

  The Yellow Kit or “kit Giallo” It took us a few days of recuperating to get our biological clocks more in line with the local time (7- hours ahead of CST in USA). A week ago Thursday (the 9 th ) we ventured out in search of the illusive Yellow Kit (Kit Giallo) used to apply for the Permesso di Soggiorno (Residence Permit). The Visa we obtained at the Consulate in Houston was only good for 8-days after arriving in Italy.   We were required to file for the Permesso di Soggiorno within that 8-day period.   Steve did a lot of research ahead of time and put together a spreadsheet   of all the things we needed to do based on instructions he was able to find online.   For the Permesso di Soggiorno these included: 1.       Obtain Yellow Kit (kit Giallo) from any Italian Post Office with “Sportello Amico”. Complete form but don’t sign and don’t seal envelope until you return to Post Office (sign in front of Postal Officer after they review ...

Arrived in Italy - our new adopted home!!! We arrived a week and half ago! Truth be told, our trip over was not what we had hoped.  Our friends and family went above and beyond to cheer us on our way amid lots of laughter, tears, and scrambling to finish up giving away and selling almost all of our belongings. YES, we gave away or sold pretty much everything we had (house, cars, furniture, books, dishes, etc.), keeping only some clothes, shoes, jewelry, a few cherished cooking items (cooking knives, and other small gadgets), computers and other electronics, etc. An hour into our flight, I began feeling nauseous. That wonderful intestinal bug that has been going around in the States hit me on the plane. If it were not for the attentive care of my husband and a wonderful flight crew on KLM, I don't know how I would have made it. Never want to be in that situation again! Luckily, I was feeling marginally better upon landing in Amsterdam, and was able to make the last short flight to G...